I’ve taken some funding or already generating revenue? Am I still eligible?

We work with really early-stage founders, so if you’ve brought in significant revenue or funding, we may not be best positioned to support you. That said, if you value our support and can make a case for why we’re you’re right next step, we won’t rule you out.

What does it mean to run a test?

Don’t bet the house, literally. As an entrepreneur, you’ve got to stretch limited resources. We believe the best way to do that is to run disciplined tests: test your school as an after-school program first; mock up your edtech tool on paper; pilot your program as part of an existing classroom.

What does it mean to pilot a school? How do you get paying customers for a school that hasn’t opened?

Our CEO, Matt Candler (affectionately known to fellows as Catt Mandler), wrote this post about school design and ended up presenting about it at the White House. Give it a read and let us know what you think!

The application process is closed, but I need help right now. What do I do?

Sign up for our newsletter and tell us if you’re working on an idea when you sign up. You’ll be the first to know if we have any extra spots that open up in our process.

Which ventures are eligible?

Ultimately, if you’re committed to building something that betters K-12 education in the U.S. for students and families, go ahead and apply. That said, here’s a glimpse at our hunch about the future of school – this hunch is informing our priorities as we invest.

Essentials

Is there a cost?

Nope. Essentials if free if you’re accepted and we offer travel stipends for accepted teams who need it.

Are you going to host Essentials in other cities?

Nope. Our goal is to provide the highest quality experience possible, so we’re only hosting Essentials camp in New Orleans and helping teams come to New Orleans with travel scholarships. Plus, there are worse things in life than a weekend in New Orleans.

I have a team or a cofounder, should we apply separately?

Nope. There’ll be a space on the application for you to list the name of your team or cofounder. To ensure we have the right people in the room, we do limit the number of people on a team to two individuals.

Tiny Fellowship

Why are you calling it Tiny?

To put it simply, we believe big ideas start small, with tiny tests. “I actually haven’t been calling it the Tiny Fellowship,” Nate, founder of STEMhero and one of our first wave of Tiny Fellows, lamented to to us during Camp, the Fellowship’s opening weekend. “I’ve just been calling it the 4.0 Fellowship. I mean, it’s not like the opportunity is tiny.”